Rocky Horror star Tim Curry says he 'owes his life' to masseur who defied him and called 911 during 2012 stroke
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Tim Curry has credited his masseur for saving his life when he suffered a stroke in 2012.
The legendary Rocky Horror Picture Show star, 79, had a stroke after collapsing at his California home in 2012, leaving him partially paralyzed on one side of his body and affecting his speech.
He opened up about the experience in his new memoir, Vagabond, revealing that he was getting a massage when it happened.
'I did not fade to black. I did not even feel out of sorts, or like something was very wrong. If fact, I had no idea that anything was off at all,' the actor wrote.
While the masseur wasn't certain of the medical emergency, he noticed some alarming changes in the actor's body that alerted him something was wrong.
When he stated his intention to call 911, Curry initially told him not to, and thought he was 'overreacting.'
Tim Curry, 79, has credited his masseur for saving his life when he suffered a stroke in 2012; Curry pictured in 2016 in West Hollywood
The legendary Rocky Horror Picture Show star (pictured in a still) had a stroke at his home in 2012, leaving him partially paralyzed on one side of his body and affecting his speech
'I probably owe my life to the fact that he ignored me, went with his instinct, and called an ambulance.'
'Even as they were loading me in, I still thought my masseur had overreacted, and that we were going through a ridiculous and unnecessary exercise.'
After his evaluation, doctors determined the actor would need a craniectomy.
He did not learn the true severity of his condition until the procedure was already done.
'Only after the surgery was completed was I informed that I had suffered a serious stroke, which sent blood clots to my brain, two of which had been removed.'
'Biologically, such clots really clog up the works — in other words, you're not getting sufficient blood flow, so your brain isn't receiving the oxygen and such that it needs,' he shared.
'If there was anything impressed upon me in the aftermath, it was just how remarkable it was that I was still alive,' he went on.
'I don't know whether I was able to respond aloud at that stage; all I can truly remember thinking was "But I didn't feel...anything."'
The actor shared that because the stroke was 'a paralytic one' he still suffers ongoing physical effects.
He opened up about the experience in his new memoir, Vagabond, revealing that he was getting a massage when it happened and 'had no idea that anything was off at all'
When the masseur stated his intention to call 911, Curry initially told him not to, and thought he was 'overreacting'; The actor pictured in September in Los Angeles
'I probably owe my life to the fact that he ignored me, went with his instinct, and called an ambulance,' the actor added; Pictured in 2005
He added that he's 'very grateful that it was not a speech stroke' and that if he had lost his verbal ability it would have been 'devastating.'
He said that the several weeks of not being able to speak during recovery were 'hell' but that he was 'assured that language would come back with time.'
Since his stroke, Curry's life has 'changed dramatically' as he has shifted to voice acting, playing Emperor Palpatine in the animated Star Wars series Clone Wars, as well as Terrence the Toucan in the animated movie Ribbit.
His memoir, Vagabond, is now available at bookstores.
In September, he opened up about his wellbeing during a special screening in honor of the musical film's 50th anniversary.
Speaking to the audience at LA's Academy Museum, Tim said: 'I still can't walk, which is why I'm in this silly chair, and that's very limiting.
'So, I won't be singing and I won't be dancing very soon. I still have real problems with my left leg.'
Since the stroke, which he suffered aged 66, the legendary actor has remained largely out of the public eye and has been rarely sighted.
According to Mayo Clinic, an ischemic stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is blocked or reduced.
This prevents brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients. Brain cells begin to die in minutes.
Another type of stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke. It occurs when a blood vessel in the brain leaks or bursts and causes bleeding in the brain. The blood increases pressure on brain cells and damages them.
Tim is best known for his role as the brilliantly mad scientist Dr Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
He first starred in the original 1973 London production and continued to play the part on Broadway before reviving the character in the 1975 film.
Tim shot to fame as Dr Frank-N-Furter in the musical comedy The Rocky Horror Picture Show (seen in a still)
He has enjoyed an illustrious career on the stage and screen having appeared in the likes of Annie (1982), Home Alone 2 (1992 - seen in a still), and Charlie's Angels (2000)
Speaking on the film's lasting impact, he said as per The Hollywood Reporter: 'I'm so excited by this and very honored by the Academy to do this presentation of our movie, which has dragged on for 50 years.'
Tim enjoyed an illustrious acting career prior to the health scare having shot to fame through The Rocky Picture Show in 1975.
On the role that catapulted him to stardom, he told Los Angeles magazine that he looks at the film's success 'with a sort of bemused tolerance.'
He continued: 'It's neither a blessing nor a curse. I was lucky to get it.'
Tim has enjoyed an illustrious career on the stage and screen having appeared in the likes of Annie (1982), Home Alone 2 (1992), and Charlie's Angels (2000).
